Aurae
"An aura is a sphere of energy that surrounds and emanates from every living thing--from ants to men. The aurae are living auras, beings composed entirely of pure energy. They hide their true selves within flesh to keep from killing us earthly beings" Aurae are celestial beings born of fire and light, also known as angels or even gods. They are old and powerful, springing from the energy of Order, and exist in direct opposition to inferni and the forces of Chaos. Appearance The true form of an aura is a being of pure, burning light, and looking upon this true form is dangerous for any being that is not an aura. It may result in blinding or even death. Because of this, many aurae take on the form of impossibly beautiful men and women, perfect in every way, and representative of the world's standard of beauty: tall and clean cut with high cheekbones and full lips. The one thing they share however, are eyes the color of contained flamed, all orange and red and yellow. Their eyes often burn and blaze when an aura uses his or her powers. Origin/History Aurae are wrapped up in even more mystery than the faeries (to whom they may be older, younger, or the same age), and the only definite thing known about them is that they are not of this world. They first came to earth when Lucifer was cast from their homeland by his 'father' and the leader of the aurae, a being known only as Order (man painted him as God or Allah or any other deity for that matter). It is believed that Lucifer grew jealous of Order's power and wanted to rule as he did. On earth, Lucifer decided he would use his power to rule over the weak inhabitants that dwelled there. He took the woman Lilith and made her his wife, and the first demon. Then they began to populate, using the demons born from them to sow seeds of chaos, strife, and pain across the earth. Men, women, and children suffered at their hands, while the demons simply grew stronger from the dark emotions they inspired. Eventually Lucifer's elder brother, the Archaura Michael, took notice of what Lucifer was doing with Chaos at his back. He led an army of Guardians (consisting of the strongest tribes of their people for whom the Twelve Tribes of Israel were named: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.) For centuries the aurae warred with these ancient demons, until both sides were forced to recede and recuperate within their separate realms. However, in the magical fallout of the war, the first Casters were born, led by King Gilgamesh and Queen Inanna, the strongest of them. Eventually a legion of demons returned to the earth and continued their rampage where they left off. Michael ordered his people not to interfere, but, foreseeing the incoming massacre, Judah convinced Joseph, Benjamin, and their Tribes to return with him to the earth and fight alongside the Casters. They won the battle with ease, but the Casters realized that too many of their people would continue to be lost if the demons kept returning to earth. So, they created a spell that would imprison the demons in their home realm, preventing them from returning to earth. The spell consisted of Seven Seals: the Summoning of Pestilence, War, and Famine, Fenrir Breaking his Chains in Hel, Sacrifice of Supernatural Bloodlines, the Innocents taken to Hell, the Death of 77 Witnesses, and the final two seals worked in union: first the death of Kalki would act as the energy necessary for the union of Death, who would then read from the Book of the Damned and break Lucifer's chains. Unbeknownst to the Casters, the spell also affected the angels. Those who hadn't returned to earth were kept from coming back while Judah, Joseph, Benjamin, and their tribes were separated from their people and their homeland, remaining as prisoners on earth. These were the ancestors of the today's aurae. Throughout the years they allied themselves with the Casters and made it their mission to train them as demon hunters and protectors of the earth. Eventually, when Lilith broke the Seven Seals, they were forced to use their power to create the Four Pillars, which created a barrier between Hell and earth. The effort of this spell forced the aurae to retreat deep within their pocket realm of Eden. They would remain here apart from the world for years until the events of 2277 leading to Elio Pendragon awakening them. Leadership/Society Aurae bow to no monarch, be it Mortal or Caster. They are a highly militaristic people and their social hierarchy involves levels of power with Archaurae being like generals, Sera like colonels and lieutenants, and the remaining equated to foot soldiers and messengers. The three generals are the leaders of the three Tribes forced to remain on earth: Judah, Joseph, and Benjamin. Judah, the strongest, commands the most power. The Nabi, Hebrew for prophet, is also a position of high power among aurae. He or she represents the people as a whole and sits on the Syndicate as the standing aura. The Nabi is often highly established within the aura community for being not only a great warrior but also an individual with skill in Enochian magic. The current Nabi is Abraham of the Tribe of Judah. Aurae tend to be a very secretive people, much like the fae. Very little is known about how more aurae come into existence, their native language (Enochian) is one that cannot be spoken by anyone without aura blood, and they are not permitted to marry humans (Caster and Mortal alike). While they have their own city on Amoria--Raora within the Jade Cliffs--most of the angel population lives within Eden, a pocket realm who's entrance is guarded carefully by Cain and kept secret from non-angels. Powers and Abilities While all aurae are born with a distinct set of abilities, those such as the Sera and Archaurae exhibit stronger versions of these abilities as well as their own unique powers. Lower Tier These are powers exhibited by all aura, and in a heightened form among upper level individuals. * Immortality--Unlike Caster immortals who typically die after 1-2000 years, the Fair Folk who live to be around 7000 or so, or even vampires who age and die without blood, Guardians live indefinitely. They need not food, drink, or sleep. They breath, but at a different rate than humans, and where there is no oxygen they can live off of Carbon or Nitrogen in the air. The oldest Guardians on earth (Judah, Joseph, and Benjamin) were already old when they returned to earth to help the early Casters. * Invulnerability--Not being from this world, very few things can truly harm or kill a Guardian besides a demon, another Guardian, or perhaps a very powerful Casters. This, coupled with their enhanced healing factor, makes them very formidable foes. * Enhanced Physiology--Have levels of strength and speed on par with vampires and lycans, and they stronger a Guardian is, the greater their strength and speed. They also have enhanced senses * Healing--Guardians are gifted healers. With a simple touch, they can cure fatigue, injuries, or disease. * Telepathy--Guardians can read minds * Perception--Guardians see through wards and glamours, and many can also sense the auras (life force and power levels) of other beings. * Shapeshifting--While many Guardians hide their true form within the guise of tall and beautiful humans, they can also become any other living being. Judah appears as a great lion * Spiritus Mundi--The collective mind of all Guardians, it acts a way to communicate over vast distances or access knowledge that a lone Guardian might not have. Once it included all Guardians, though the Seals now separate those on earth and those in the heavens. Mid Tier Powers exhibited by Sera and in a heightened form among Archangels * Localization--The ability to pinpoint the precise or moderate location of other living beings * Aether Manipulation--Seraphim and Archangels are capable of outwardly manifesting their Light (known as Enochian magic), even when they are in their human forms (other angels must expose their true selves to do this). They use this holy fire to smite demons, killing them instantly. * Banishment--Seraphim and Archangels can expel demons or other unwanted entities from a place Upper Tier Power exhibited by Archaurae alone, the highest level of Guardian power * Telekinesis--The ability to manipulate matter using your mind alone * Chronokinesis--A dangerous ability because of the many possible side effects and the potential for the destruction of an entire time stream, Guardians can manipulate time--accelerating, slowing, or stopping it (relatively safe)--and travel through streams of time, forward or backward. * Resurrection--Another very dangerous power, it involves reaching across the barrier between Life and Death to bring a soul back from the dead. It is different from necromancy, which simply reanimates the mind of a dead body, in that it actually brings a persons soul. This ability requires tremendous power and could potentially kill the user. It is also frowned upon because it disrupts the Balance. Weaknesses While guardians are capable of seeing past wards and glamours, particularly powerful ones can have a very nasty effect on them, especially if they specifically target Guardians. Caster spells, depending on their strength, could also negatively affect a Guardian, though of course incredibly few Casters are even close to the power an Archangel could possess. Enochian steel weapons, crafted from a very rare metal and blessed by Guardians, is an effective way of killing demons, but it can also very easily kill a Guardian. Demons are capable of manipulating the Dark (aka Edomic Magic) which directly opposes the Light/Enochian magic. In the same way that Light can kill a demon, Dark can kill a Guardian. The primordial force of Chaos is dangerous to any being.